Good morning from Seattle. Seattle is 2 hours behind Texas, so I sit here writing the 5MC at 4am. It seems early but my body wanted to get up even earlier, my mind didn’t. Great travels out here yesterday. Even in 2018 it surprises me how quickly and efficiently we can travel the country. I’m only 2 hours from Canada and only 3 hours from Vancouver, I would love to run up there, but unfortunately, no time for it on this trip.
I had a window seat on the plane and as the flight endured, I gazed out the window at the unique view. The landscape from 30,000 feet is a thing to behold. God’s planet has a strange yet satisfying feel to me, as if all at once seeing perfection. The colors of the surface radiate, warm and soft. Reds, browns, pale greens. The patterns leap from the ground. God’s geography is revealed from above, angles and shapes that mesmerize in their simple complexity. In the desolation of the desert, the lack of man’s presence reveals God's creation in its purest untouched form. It seems chaotic yet perfectly in harmony. The most random patterns creating rhythm. I closed my eyes and prayed and just talked with God. I sat there and drifted in and out of prayer as I enjoyed the solitude of the moment. I’m so thankful that we serve a God that is available to us anywhere, anytime and in any circumstance. Even in a metal tube travelling 535 miles an hour, 6 miles above the surface. God is here for me. God is here for you too. I hope He is a part of every moment of your day.
This morning we finish the book of Titus. With only 3 chapters, it seems we finished as quick as we started. The great thing about God’s Word is its quality not quantity. Even one of God’s Words is worth 50 of mans. Case in point, in only 3 short chapters we have learned 3 vital principles of God’s church. That God wants order and Holy, righteous leadership within His church. That God wants His church to be solid in doctrine, firmly based on His Word and the Gospel of His Son Jesus Christ. And lastly, what we will study today, God wants His church to be a beacon to the world through doing His good work.
I mean what’s the point of a strong body of Christ followers if they just sit around and talk and have potlucks? The point is for the church to get busy and do the good that God commands them. Good for others, good for the community, good for the world. We talked yesterday in depth about the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives. If you have the Spirit of God living within you, you will be prompted by Him to live, think and act righteously before God. He HELPS us to think and act in His ways. In fact, that’s exactly how Jesus described the Holy Spirit when he told the disciples that He would have to depart so the Spirit could come. “And I will ask the Father and He will send you another helper, to be with you forever.” John 14:16. A helper. His Spirit helps us to do God’s Will.
So let’s look at Paul’s description of good works here in Titus chapter 3:
“The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.” Titus 3:8
I love how Paul uses language here in the definitive. He uses strong words that we cannot misinterpret or underestimate. This saying is trustworthy. It’s true. It’s bulletproof. You can take it to the bank. It will not EVER be in error. All of God’s Word is truth but when you hear it emphasized like it is here, my friends, God says, sit up and take notice.
Next Paul says that he “insists” that Titus demand this of followers of Christ. There’s no muddying the water with those words. Insist means to “demand something forcefully, not accepting refusal.” Paul is very clear that if you are a child of God there is no wiggle room here…at all.
Paul continues on and further clarifies. “So that those who have believed in God, may be careful to devote themselves to good works.” Again, strong inclusive words from Paul. Have you called upon the name of Jesus Christ to save you from your sins? If so, you have been saved and you are a Christian and according to this verse you were saved by God to devote yourself to His good works. Pretty clear.
Next, we see an amazing, powerful statement from God. “These things are excellent and profitable for people.” Have you ever done something good for somebody? (Of course, I hope your answer is yes.) Let’s step it up a bit. Have you ever done something good for somebody and it cost you something? I don’t mean money, I mean you went out of your way to do good for somebody and it cost you something. It cost you time, it cost you emotional investment, it maybe even cost you pain. In its completion though, do you remember that unbelievable, warm feeling that you had? That is exactly what God is talking about here. When you are in harmony with God and doing the good work He has for you, it will be excellent and profitable for you. You will be rewarded.
Think about these 2 words God uses here. Excellent, “extremely good and outstanding.” When you do good works according to God’s will, He says, “that is excellent, outstanding work my child.” Praise from God will touch our souls like nothing else. It also says this is profitable for us. We live in a capitalist society, I think we are all hyper aware of what profit is. We think of profit as solely involving money but here it means to be “extremely beneficial to.” Just for example, it would be like you investing $20 and getting back $500. God says when you do the good works I have for you, I will praise you and reward you greatly. I have been on the receiving end of this countless times and folks, let me just say, it is nothing short of addictive. When you are serving in God’s will and doing the good works He has for you, you cannot possibly imagine how He praises and rewards. His blessings abound. You cannot outgive or outbless God. He first saved us through His grace and love, even though we were sinners. We now are called to serve God out of our love for Him. But then He turns right around and blesses us greatly for our obedience. We serve a generous God indeed.
It’s probably important to pause here and look at that word reward. We live in world today where people have a tough time not equating everything to money. You have to break that habit quickly and permanently. God supplies everything we need. He gives us our daily bread, He gives us clothes, He gives us shelter. And He does it in abundance. If we only think of God as rewarding with more money than we treat God as some kind of cosmic slot machine. Giving to Him or doing good works in hopes of hitting the jackpot. Have you ever had somebody give to you or help you only expecting something in return? I have and it really hurts. In fact, I’ve had relationships severed as a result. You don’t serve God and serve others only expecting something in return. Remember, God knows your heart. We are called to love Him, serve Him, do the good works He has for us and the reward and praise will only come as a result of doing it with a pure heart.
So also, you might be wondering about those two words, “good works.” Together they seem awful generic, don’t they? I mean just simple good works could be holding the door open for and elderly woman. Yes. It could be pulling in the neighbors trash cans for them. Yes. It could be spending a week sharing the gospel in Africa. Yes. You see this is the kicker concerning good works. It’s not what YOU think good works are but what GOD thinks good works are. It’s not YOU doing what you perceive as good works but you doing what GOD tells you to do in good works. You see, God built you. You are special. You are different than every other person that has ever lived. Not in that you are better or deserve something because of it, but because God made you different so that you could do a specific job for Him. You my friends, were built specifically BY God, FOR God, to do good works FROM God. It’s just that simple.
So, the real question is not what is the purpose of my life, but how has God gifted me spiritually and how will He have me utilize those gifts to do His good work? Wow, that’s good stuff, let me repeat that….How has God gifted me spiritually and how will He have me utilize this gift to do His good work? This question is the journey. This question is the quest. Some seek and find the answer to this question quickly. Some people are on the mission field at 17 and some people are preaching at 20. For others the journey to discover God’s will might take longer. That was the case for Margie and me. We had always loved God and served God but there came a time in our lives where we wanted more. We craved more, we desired to serve God on another level. The level that God asks of us. You see, God wants all of us, not just a portion. I was giving most of myself to work, making money and living MY life the way I wanted. I had little time and little room for God. When I made room for God, He was finally able to use me in the way that He made me.
The sooner we all recognize that we are specifically built by God to do His good works, the quicker we can start the good works and start enjoying His sweet praise. I pray that your daily time in God’s Word is having its full effect. That you can feel yourself drawing closer to God each day after you close your Bible. God is constant, He is always close, it’s us who can create distance. If you feel distanced from God, it’s you who needs to start walking. You can start that walk towards God today. Spend some time in His Word. As you do, He will start speaking and revealing Himself to you. God will reveal His will to you. He has good work for you to do.
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8
